Overview of procalcitonin assays and procalcitonin-guided protocols for the management of patients with infections and sepsis.

Procalcitonin is a surrogate infection blood marker whose levels help estimate the likelihood of bacterial infections and correlate with their resolution. Recent trials have revealed the benefits of inclusion of procalcitonin in antibiotic stewardship protocols for initiation and discontinuation of antimicrobial therapy. Areas covered: Procalcitonin-guided antibiotic stewardship protocols have shown appreciable reductions in antibiotic use and duration of therapy in respiratory infections, sepsis, and other infections, with positive effects on clinical outcomes.

Infrainguinal arterial reconstruction: female gender as risk factor for outcome.

Objectives: the effect of gender on the long-term results of infrainguinal arterial reconstruction are poorly investigated.

Methods: all patients undergoing infrainguinal arterial reconstruction with an autogenous vein are as 11 years period was prospectively evaluated.

Results: four hundred and fifty reconstructions (292 man, 160 women) were performed as on 416 patients.